All the people, who received some of
the bone fragments that were distributed after
Ãcariya Mun’s cremation, placed them in suitable
reliquaries
and worshipped these relics in his stead. Everyone
went their separate ways after the funeral, and
nothing further was heard about this matter until
some four years later when Khun Wan Khomanamun,
owner of the Siriphon Phanit Store and the
Suddhiphon Hotel in Nakhon Ratchasima, returned to
Sakon Nakhon for a merit-making ceremony. When he
presented a cloth offering at Wat Suddhawat
monastery, where Ãcariya Mun had passed away, the
abbot gave him a piece of bone taken from Ãcariya
Mun’s funeral pyre. Upon returning home, he decided
to place it in the reliquary with the other remains
of Ãcariya Mun which he had received four years
earlier. When he opened the container, he was
astonished to find that these bone fragments,
received at the cremation, had all been transformed
into crystal-like relics. He was so amazed at seeing
them that his spirits soared. He quickly sent
someone to check on another set of Ãcariya Mun’s
remains that he kept in a reliquary at the
Suddhiphon Hotel, and discovered that they too had
been transformed into crystal-like relics. A small
portion of the original bone remained in the form of
a coarse powder, but soon that, too, underwent the
same transformation. In the end, a total of 344
relics were counted in the two reliquaries belonging
to Khun Wan. This was the first instance where
Ãcariya Mun’s remains were found to have transformed
into relics.

News of this miracle spread far and
wide. Soon people began coming to ask him for a
share of the relics. Khun Wan was a very generous
person and he sympathized with their request. So, he
shared the relics out among them one or two at a
time. He very kindly gave me some on two occasions.
On the first occasion, I received five; on the
second, two, making seven altogether. As soon as I
received them I publicized the fact that I had
something very special. I was enormously pleased to
have them, but my mouth wasn’t satisfied to keep
quiet about it. In the end I lost out – some women
came and took them all. But, oddly enough, I was not
at all disappointed that they took advantage of me.
And there being nothing left to publicize, my mouth
was finally satisfied.

When word got out that I had
something very special, the first people who came to
ask to see them were all women. When I brought out
the relics, first, this woman picked one up to
inspect it; then, that woman picked one up to
inspect it. Before I knew it, each of them had
quietly slipped the one she was holding into her
pocket, asking me if she could keep it. Who would
dare ask for their return at that point, and make a
fool of himself twice. Since then I have never had
any of Ãcariya Mun’s relics in my possession. Later,
I heard that Khun Wan had given so many of his
relics away to other devotees that he had hardly any
left; so, I didn’t dare to bother him again.

It is my understanding that Khun
Wan’s store in Nakhon Ratchasimawas the first place
where Ãcariya Mun’s bone fragments were discovered
to be genuine relics. From that time on, such relics
have appeared in many different places where
faithful people, who received pieces of Ãcariya
Mun’s bone, continued to worship them with special
reverence. Even today, people still discover that
Ãcariya Mun’s bone fragments have turned into
relics, though the families who have them keep very
quiet, fearing that others will ask for a share of
these rare, priceless gems. In any case, someone who
did not have an inherent spiritual connection with
Ãcariya Mun would find it difficult to receive one
of his relics to worship. Just look at me: I
received several of them but lacked the merit
necessary to look after them – I had to give them to
someone else to care for them in my place.

Ãcariya Mun’s relics possess many
strange, amazing qualities. One person who owned two
of them made a solemn wish that his two relics
become three so that he would have one for each of
the “Three Jewels”: Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha. Soon
afterward a third relic materialized with the other
two. Another person with two relics made the same
solemn wish, but instead of increasing, the two
fused into one, which greatly disappointed him.
This person told me what had happened and
asked my advice. I explained to him that whether
one has three of Ãcariya Mun’s relics, or one of
them, or merely a bone fragment that has yet to
undergo any transformation, all are essentially
relics from his body. So no one should be
disappointed if two became one, for it’s a
miraculous occurrence just the same. What could be
more amazing than that? Even the hair samples from
Ãcariya Mun’s head – which were collected when he
shaved his head each month, and which are now kept
and revered by people in many different places –
have undergone a transformation similar to the bone
fragments. In either case, the result is the same:
undergoing an essential transformation, both become
relics.

People who have genuine relics of
Ãcariya Mun cherish them so much that they keep very
quiet about it. But, if someone inquires skeptically
whether Ãcariya Mun’s bones really did become
relics, the same people will answer boldly in the
affirmative. Should they then be asked whether or
not they possess any, they will just smile and say
they have so few they couldn’t possibly give one
away, thus precluding someone from asking. For this
reason, it is difficult to find out these days who
actually possesses Ãcariya Mun’s relics. Even if
they were asked by a monk whom they revere, they
would probably give a rather vague answer. So we
must sympathize with those who venerate and treasure
Ãcariya Mun’s relics.

A S A LIVING TEACHER , Ãcariya
Mun was extremely influential. He had very effective
methods for alleviating the mental stress and
feelings of anxiety experienced by his followers.
Many people have recounted instances when they were
determined to commit evil, or their minds were very
hot and agitated, or they felt vengeful enough to
kill someone – and the mere thought of Ãcariya Mun
then was enough to cause these emotions and ideas to
subside immediately. It was as though he had doused
their flaming hearts with cool water, allowing them
to realize their misunderstandings. Their harmful
thoughts had simply vanished. The sense of relief
they felt made them want to prostrate before him
then and there. Many lay followers have testified to
this, and surely there are many more unreported
cases of devotees using the power of remembering
Ãcariya Mun to successfully counter their wrongful
intentions. Many monks, as well, have used the power
of their faith in him to restrain themselves in
accordance with their spiritual calling.

During his lifetime Ãcariya Mun
trained countless numbers of people to be good,
righteous individuals. At least forty years of his
life as a monk were spent engaged in teaching monks
and laity from all over the country. Just think of
how many monks and how many lay people must have
trained under him in that forty year period. If we
consider only the monks, the disciples who became
accomplished in meditation and the way of practice
were already numerous. These monks have in turn
become ãcariyas, teaching their own disciples how to
develop firm principles for the future. All of this
resulted from Ãcariya Mun’s pioneering efforts to
pass on that knowledge and understanding to others.
Without his guidance they would never have been able
to find the right path, to say nothing of teaching
others how to practice it.

The task of laying a firm spiritual
foundation in the heart, so that it is solidly
anchored in reason and propriety, is an important
and difficult one – far more so than any other
seemingly difficult task we’ve ever done. Spiritual
work, like all other work, follows the lead of the
heart. In truth, the primary basis for everything we
do is found in the heart. The heart is both
instigator and director of all affairs concerning
good and evil, right and wrong. Being both arbiter
and taskmaster in all moral issues, the more the
heart learns about itself and its relation to
matters of good, evil, right, and wrong, the better
equipped it will be to sustain itself in a smooth,
safe, and joyful manner. Those of us, who were aware
of Ãcariya Mun’s profound knowledge of this subject,
feel obliged to pay homage to him with unshakable
faith. While he was alive, we were constantly
reminded of the depth of his understanding. And
although he has now passed away, we have never
forgotten it. We cannot help but recollect him with
a profound and boundless sense of gratitude.

Ãcariya Mun was a teacher of the
highest caliber when it came to developing people’s
hearts – a development that goes straight to the
essential core of life in this world. A heart well
developed in Dhamma is unlikely to suffer adverse
consequences. More than that, we can state with
confidence that a fully developed heart will never
suffer any adverse consequences at all. All its
actions will bring beneficial results. A world in
which proper spiritual development keeps pace with
material development is a truly progressive world
where people are bound to live in peace and
happiness. When the material side of the world
progresses at the expense of the spiritual side,
people’s hearts are forever ablaze, so the world
experiences strife, oppression, exploitation, and
corruption on a grand scale. Such progress is
equivalent to the advance of the fires of hell. If
you want to know what the advancing fires of hell
are like, you need only look at a world devoid of
spiritual development; a world that is constantly
polluted by the heart’s filthy excretions. When the
heart is neglected, people’s behavior becomes
perverse, immoral, irritating, and quite offensive.
So much so that nothing of pleasure or
praiseworthiness can be found in a world ruled by
impropriety.

Understanding this, wise, intelligent
people emphasize spiritual development over all
other kinds of development – which are all merely
creations of the heart anyway. Once the heart has
been well developed, its overriding influence then
cleanses all aspects of a person’s behavior. The
world thus enjoys peace and happiness following the
lead of intelligent people who have developed
themselves spiritually, and therefore, strive to
govern society with reason, according to the
principles of Dhamma.

We should be very wary of admiring or
trusting the intelligence of people who lack
spiritual development even if they’re so clever that
they can explore the sun, the moon, and the stars.
Such achievements are not all that significant;
especially if the intelligence in question is of the
kind that is unmindful of its own misdoing and
exudes poisonous elements that cause trouble in
society. Applied indiscriminately, this ‘clever’
knowledge may well lead to behavior rivaling that of
common animals that ruth-lessly prey on and devour
each other, believing all the while that it is a
clever way to satisfy their needs. Regardless of our
position in society, genuine intelligence is
measured by our ability to use the principles of
reason to bring prosperity to ourselves and others,
and there is no need to earn a diploma to certify
it. Thoughts and actions bringing peace and
happiness to ourselves and others are considered the
true fruits of genuine intelligence; and as such,
they constitute their own certificate of
recognition. We need not boast of our credentials to
verify our intelligence. In fact, such certification
may secretly act as a cover for immoral behavior. In
that case, the means may be furtive, but the
resultant disturbance to others is no secret – the
troublesome problems it creates are obvious
everywhere we look.

Such is the harm that arises when
spiritual development is overlooked. Who can
seriously believe that material development alone –
driven by people whose hearts are corroded by
kilesas and corrupted by selfish motives – will ever
bring true peace and prosperity to the world? Only
someone who is completely insensitive to moral
issues could possibly accept this view. The
difference between the actions of those who have
developed themselves spiritually and those who have
not is the difference between day and night. It was
for this reason that the Lord Buddha did not
recommend that the samãdhi attainments be used for
such psychic purposes as levitating, diving through
the earth, or walking on water. He did not praise
the intelligence of people acting like that. On the
contrary, he praised as intelligent those who made
an effort to thoroughly train themselves in the way
of virtue, regardless of whether they were using
samãdhi attainments or some other means to achieve
this. Such people are a blessing to themselves and
to others, for a sense of contentment is the primary
determinant of how pleasant our world really is.
Even though the state of our health and other
physical needs may be uncertain, following the
fluctuating nature of anicca, life remains pleasant
if our hearts have sufficient contentment to insure
us against life becoming unbearable.

QUESTIONS HAVE ARISEN concerning
the spontaneous transformation of the bone remains
of Ãcariya Mun and Ãcariya Sao into relics. As news
of this marvel spread shortly after the first relics
of Ãcariya Mun appeared, many people voiced doubts
about why the bone remains of ordinary people could
not also become relics: after all, the bones of an
Arahant and the bones of an ordinary person are
composed of the same body elements. Why is it that
only an Arahant’s bones can become relics? What’s
the essential difference between the two?

Briefly, my own explanation is that
the heart, or the citta, is the fundamental,
determining factor here. Although the citta is
something common to all living beings, it varies
greatly in power and quality from one person to the
next. As for an Arahant, his citta is an ariyacitta;
meaning that it is absolutely pure. The citta of the
average person, on the other hand, is merely an
ordinary citta; meaning, that it is polluted by
kilesas. In either case, the nature of the citta –
the master and prime mover – has a decisive impact
on the condition of the physical body in which it
resides. For instance, the Arahant’s citta being
pure, it may well have the power to cleanse his body
elements, making them pure as well, and thus,
allowing his bones to transmute into relics.
Although the body of an ordinary person is composed
of the same types of elements, the body’s master,
the citta, is full of kilesas. It has no power to
cleanse the body elements and purify them. Because
the body elements have not been purified, the
cremated bones of the average person remain
unchanged, reflecting the impure nature of the citta.
We could say that purified elements are synonymous
with the ariyacitta, while ordinary elements are
synonymous with the ordinary citta. The attributes
of the Arahant’s citta – and by extension, his body
elements – differ significantly from those of the
average person, so their bone remains are bound to
differ as well.

However, I am not sure that, after
death, the bones of all Arahants will automatically
be transformed to relics. The citta of someone
attaining the level of Arahant is completely
purified at the moment of its attainment. The
question remains: When the body of an Arahant is
cremated, do the remaining bones become relics in
each and every case or not? From one Arahant to
another, there is a considerable difference in time
between the moment when he reaches that attainment
and the moment when he finally passes away. The
bones of living Arahants, who maintain their body
elements for a long period of time after their
attainment, are very likely to become relics after
death. This is due to the length of time involved.
The citta of an Arahant maintains the body elements
by means of the various life-sustaining systems
present in the body, like the breath for example. At
the same time, an Arahant maintains throughout his
daily activities an intrinsic level of samãdhi that
steadily works to cleanse his body elements until
they also become pure. This results in his bone
remains becoming relics after he passes away. But
I’m not convinced that the bone remains of an
Arahant, who passes away shortly after his
attainment, do become relics, since his body
elements were not subject to the same lengthy
cleansing process mentioned above.

An Arahant classified as
dandhãbhiññãis one who attains enlightenment
slowly and gradually. He may well reach the
Anãgãmï level, and then be stuck there for a long
time before he finally reaches the level of Arahant.
He must spend a lot of time investigating back and
forth between arahattamagga and arahat-taphala
before the citta develops sufficient strength and
skill to pass beyond. This process of investigating
arahattamagga for the sake of attaining
arahattaphala is in fact an effective means of
cleansing the body elements. Having finally attained
the level of Arahant, his bones may well become
relics after he passes away. On the other hand, I am
not at all sure that the bones of an Arahant, who
attains enlightenment quickly – that is,
khippã-bhiññã – and then passes away shortly
afterward, will necessarily become relics, since his
purified citta would have very little time to
cleanse his body elements. As for the ordinary citta
of the average person, producing a transformation
from bone to relic is well beyond its capability.

N OT ONLY WERE Ãcariya Mun’s bone
remains clearly transformed into relics, but some of
these relics then underwent some amazing changes of
their own. As I have already mentioned, someone who
had two relics made a solemn wish that they become
three and was rewarded with an extra one. Someone
with two wished for a third and ended up with only
one instead. Although it seems virtually impossible,
such transformations actually happened.

There was another strange case where
a man who had been given two relics one morning
found three when he looked again that evening: in
the short period between morning and evening they
had increased from two to three. The man in question
was a senior government official with enormous faith
in Ãcariya Mun. From the day he passed away until
the time of his cremation, this man had been
extremely helpful in nearly every aspect of the
funeral arrangements. A certain senior monk, having
received some relics from Khun Wan of Nakhon
Ratchasima and remembering this man’s kind
assistance, gave him a pair as a keepsake one
morning. The man felt an overwhelming sense of joy
the moment he was handed that precious gift. Having
nothing suitable to put them in just then, he put
the relics in an empty snuff bottle for the time
being. He closed the cap tightly and placed the
bottle in his shirt pocket, buttoning it for good
measure to insure against loss. Upon leaving the
monastery that morning, he went directly to work
where he spent the whole day in a bright, happy
frame of mind, his thoughts returning time and again
to the relics he had just received.

Arriving home that evening, he
excitedly told his family that he had received
something splendid, a gift he had never received
before. After the whole household gathered around to
see what it was, he produced a proper reliquary for
holding the relics. Opening the snuff bottle to
remove the relics, he saw, to his amazement, that
there were three of them. This sight heightened his
reverence for Ãcariya Mun, and he was so overjoyed
at receiving the relics that he could hardly contain
himself. He boldly proclaimed to his wife and
children that this was a genuine miracle – proof
that Ãcariya Mun was truly an Arahant. His family
were somewhat skeptical, worried that, perhaps, he
had miscounted them in the morning. He refused to
accept this, arguing vehemently that he clearly
remembered being given two relics by the senior monk
that morning. He insisted that he had accepted them
with great interest and respect. Even at work he had
kept them in mind all day, repeating to himself “two
relics, two relics”, as though it was a meditation
subject. How could he have forgotten how many there
were? He told his family that if they still harbored
any doubts, tomorrow he would take them all to ask
the senior monk: then they would realize that what
he said was true. But his family didn’t want to
wait: they were determined to go immediately. So,
they all agreed to go straight away. Upon arriving
at the monastery, the government official asked the
senior monk how many relics he had given him that
morning.

“I gave you two relics. Why do you
ask? Is one missing?”

“No, none are missing. In fact, they
have actually increased by one, so now I have three!
The reason I ask is, when I returned home and opened
the bottle to remove the relics and place them in a
reliquary, there were three instead of the two I
expected to see. This made me tremble with joy. I
quickly told my wife and children what had happened,
but no one believed me. Afraid that I had miscounted
them, they insisted that I come again and ask you to
make sure. Now that we know the truth, I feel even
happier. Well, what do you say – do you believe me
now?”

His wife smiled and said she
was worried that he may have miscounted them, or
that perhaps he was just kidding her. She just
wanted to make sure. Since it was obviously true,
she believed it; she had no intention of denying the
truth. At this the senior monk smiled and explained
to her what had happened:

“This morning I gave your husband two
relics. He was always especially helpful to Ãcariya
Mun and the rest of the monks. He gave us invaluable
assistance from the time Ãcariya Mun died until his
cremation was completed. I have never forgotten
this, so, when I was given some relics by Khun Wan
of Nakhon Ratchasima, I put a few aside to give to
your husband as a keepsake since they are so hard to
find nowadays. Ãcariya Mun is the first person I
have ever encountered whose bones have changed to
relics. Though such things are mentioned in the
ancient texts, I had never seen the real thing with
my own eyes. Now I have seen irrefutable proof.
Please keep them in a suitable place and look after
them well. Should they happen to vanish one day,
your disappointment will be far more profound than
the joy you felt when they increased in number.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Ãcariya Mun’s relics
possess very miraculous properties. When they can
increase in number as easily as they just have for
you, they can just as easily vanish if they are not
properly respected. Please keep them in a prominent,
high place and pay homage to them every morning and
evening. They may well bring you some unexpected
good fortune. I am absolutely convinced that Ãcariya
Mun was a monk of the highest purity, but I don’t
tell people this very often for fear they may think
I’m crazy. You see, people tend to easily believe in
bad things, but they have difficulty believing in
good ones. Consequently, it is difficult to find a
good person but easy to find a bad one. By observing
ourselves, we will notice that we too tend to prefer
thinking in unwholesome rather than in wholesome
ways.”

When the senior monk finished
speaking, the government official and his wife
respectfully took leave of him and returned home in
an exceptionally cheerful mood.

I have mentioned these strange,
miraculous properties of Ãcariya Mun’s relics so
that my readers may ponder for themselves what
causes such phenomena to occur. Those searching for
scientific proof to authenticate their occurrence
will find empirical evidence hard to come by. Since
such things are impossible for people with kilesas
to fathom, they may not find a shred of evidence to
support them. The difference between the body
elements of an Arahant and those of the rest of us
is clearly demonstrated by the fact that an
Arahant’s bones can become genuine relics. As for
the body elements of people with kilesas: even the
cremated remains of a million such people will never
produce the same results. Thus it is clear that a
living Arahant is a human being who is incomparably
different from the rest of us. Just the fact that
his heart is pure makes him stand out in a uniquely
amazing way. His attainment is something that the
whole world should respect and revere.